‘Stop politicising army for your political motives’, Sidhu tells Modi

Indian cricketer-turned-politician says the BJP government has started 'propaganda war'

Indian cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday hit out at the Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for using the armed forces to fulfil its own 'political' interests.

He spoke out via Twitter, saying: "Stop deflecting the real issues, they will come back to haunt you [the incumbent Modi government]."

Sidhu, who is Punjab cabinet minister, assailed the ruling party for high rate of unemployment and corruption plaguing the country.

Stop politicising the army for your political motives

Army is as sacred as the state!

Stop deflecting the real issues, they will come back to haunt you

Job loss
Black money
1708 terrorist acts
NPAs
Farmer Suicides

All this gone, because your ‘so-called’ propaganda war is on.. pic.twitter.com/T8gnoZVPkl

— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) March 4, 2019

He added that the regime has started a "propaganda war", adding, "Army is as sacred as the state."

The television personality called out PM Modi for lying to the nation over the 'airstrike' in Balakot.

In another tweet, the former cricket star raised a number of questions, asking: "300 terrorist dead, Yes or No? What was the purpose then? Were you uprooting terrorist or trees? Was it an election gimmick."

300 terrorist dead, Yes or No?

What was the purpose then? Were you uprooting terrorist or trees? Was it an election gimmick?

Deceit possesses our land in guise of fighting a foreign enemy.

Stop politicising the army, it is as sacred as the state.

ऊंची दुकान फीका पकवान| pic.twitter.com/HiPILADIuW

— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) March 4, 2019

On February 26, Indian fighter jets had carried out airstrikes in Balakot on what the Modi administration alleged were ‘militant camps’. Islamabad has denied any such camps existed.

According to Sidhu, the BJP was trying to dupe the public in the guise of having to wage war with a foreign enemy.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale had claimed that Indian Air Force (IAF) jets had destroyed a key ‘terror camp’ and killed scores of terrorists.

The figure informally leaked to the Indian media by the Modi government sources who put the number of slain terrorists at 300.

Gokhale had stated that a very large number of terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of militants had been eliminated.